What is a popular coonhound breed for bobcat hunting

[B&thounds]

I'm looking for a new coon hound to start on bobcat but I need help on choosing a breed of coonhound, I know that a good cat dog will come from a line of other cat dogs but I wanted to know what will best suit were I live I live in the Maine woods were it can be very harsh in the winter time and relatively hot in the summer what I guess I'm saying is I want a dog that can deal with the cold and hot relatively good and I also want it to be loyal and trust worthy, and also can track on a old sent, so can you cat hunters tell me what you think would make a great bobcat coonhound for a northern state, thanks b&thounds

[mefishme1234]

English, walkers, Plotts, blueticks. I d get a young dog or a pup from a proven line of any.. Loooking for a coon and cat line that has a medium nose, and dead broke off deer.. Cats will go through deer yards...Each breed has is weaknesses like walkers and deer and plotts with porkys... I know of a upcoming litter of English I d love to get a pup outa that female.. being loyal and trustworthy u have to spend ur time working with it.. I have 3 grown hounds and 3 pups, the puppies get most of my time so I can build a solid relationship with them. if your not partial to breed get the best you can afford and do a lot of home work. don't buy from a breeder, buy from a houndsman with proven lines..

[B&thounds]

Thanks mefishme1234 you have been pretty helpful I have b&ts right now and didn't know if they were any good for bobcat hunting either?

[mefishme1234]

well if they can run a coon the can do a cat.

[call-me-ish]

I have 3 B&T that are doing good on cats. One of my hunting buddies hunts Smokey River Blues, and they take back seat to nothing. The other guy I hunt with has used Treeing Walkers from the Hickory Nut Harry breeding since the 70s. I just got a pup from the Walker guy. Both of these men have above average hounds. The only difference i have noticed is in the style of the hunters. The walker guy pulls his hounds off a cold track, while the bluetick man likes to see his hounds. Work it .

[david]

B&Thounds, you have black and tans, you should use them. Just know that there have been some good black and tan hounds used to catch bobcat. I knew of a pair of them in Minnesota being used with great success, and a well known hunter on the west coast will tell you lots of stories about his great black and tans of yesteryear. Try them. If you get nice soft snow about up to the dogs chest, you could probably catch a cat in Maine with most any coon hound breed if he is broke from off-game, and maybe even if he is not.

Being a northern hunter, I like to run my hands backwards through a dogs hair coat to see and feel how heavy the undercoat is, and pay attention to the amount of hair on his belly. Some dogs have almost no hair on the belly, while others have quite a bit of it there. Most coonhounds I have known handled the cold pretty well. But I have had a couple with slick shiny coats that sure were beautiful and showed all their ripped muscles, but they did not handle the extreme cold well.

I have hunted in the south, and the southern boys like a tough hair coat too because of all the thick and pointed brush. Obviously they run their dogs in warm weather.

I would err toward a nice heavy coated hound if given the choice. A black dog has a disadvantage in the summer, but it will help him in the winter. If your black and tans are slick coated, well enjoy the beauty of it, and they will give you their all in the deep cold as well. It will just be a little harder for them to adjust when they come out of the dog box. And you will have to worry if you loose one in thedeep sub zero cold. You dont really want them to quit moving in that kind of cold, and they will get tired eventually.

There is a line of Plotts in Maine that have helped some folks catch most cats they put them on in good conditions. I have heard of some dandy English dogs in Maine. And Nelson Cole has made his living off of his line of Walkers on bobcat and bear. As you mentioned, it is always wise to get dogs from a proven line of cat dogs.

Try what you have. If they don't work, look up some of these proven dogs.

MAKE some time to read the bobcat hunting section of Big Game Hounds. Start here and work backwards. Some of your questions have been answered in great depth right here on the first page. Some of them you might have to dig a little more. But I would venture an educated guess that every single question you come up with has been answered right here on the greatest body of bobcat hunting knowledge ever assembled in all of recorded history. Take advantage of it. You have a long time before bobcat season opens in Maine.